Open What You Break Is What You Get

[Vivian Brackenstall]

The anger and loss that had permeated Vivian during his talk with Tristan last week had quickly crystallised into ice in his veins, and nothing he did seemed to shake that sense of being frozen, almost locked out of the world entirely. He had cried, at first, wept and shook and sobbed for the love he no longer felt. For the years wasted, for the foolishness he felt for ever having listened to Tristan. Those tears had frozen solid though, coalesced into a hard shell icing Vivian out of the world around him. He had glided from class to common room to meal for what felt like an eternity, feeling entirely apart from everyone else. The anger and sorrow of falling out of love was too painful to live through, but frozen solid, Vivian could simply be, letting the world pass him by and not thinking of what needed to be changed. What he needed to change.

So it was a relatively normal and mellow Sunday morning breakfast Vivian was spending, eating across the table from Tristan as though nothing had changed. It had been days now of simply nodding in agreement when people spoke to him, letting conversations slide across his skin like silk but never fully enter his mind. The world was simply a thing happening around Vivian where he sat, frozen inside, preferring to cut himself off from everything rather than face the problems in his life.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan had been almost relieved to walk out of the Brotherhood meeting, and it had cheered him up a bit. He was getting tired of his own sour mood, but it was hard to let go of the bitterness that had overtaken him since the start of the year. The boy had thrown himself into his studies to distract himself, as well as focus on his future. His grades were the only thing he could rely on now to get him the job he wanted, and he had to work hard for it all. If the professors at Hogwarts didn't recognize him for his greatness, he had to make sure the Ministry would.

He was sitting at breakfast with Vivian, but his mind was elsewhere. He had waken up early this morning to revise his Ancient Runes work, then had practiced some transfiguration spells at well. The NEWTs might be far away, but Tristan wanted to be wel prepared. But now he was allowing his mind some rest, and it had wandered to the yule ball which was getting near. It was a difficult topic around Vivian, who had recently argued with him about it, but Tristan figured it was fine to make plans silently as long as he didn't mention it to the other boy. He wasn't going to let Vivian's insecurities stop him from having a good time. Tristan was glancing around the Hufflepuff table to see if he could figure out who he wanted to take to the ball, if anyone. His gaze lingered on Signy, who had been his date to the Valentine's dance last year. She was pretty, and had been gorgeous at his side. Would it be a good idea to ask her again? Or would it imply that there was something between them if he asked her to two events? But would that be a bad thing? He could definitely to worse. It really was a shame the Minister's daughter seemed to be together with Kauri now, and the younger one didn't seem interested in boys. But Tristan figured Signy might be a good choice for a date, though he was keeping his options open for now.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian didn't know what it was, but something in the way Tristan was looking at Signy melted a hole in the ice encasing him. Even now, even knowing all too well that Vivian wanted more, Tristan made no secret of his wandering gaze, his desire for a more appropriate partner. Watching Tristan charm and lie to unsuspecting partners one after another was a hell Vivian had lived for the last four years, and as he watched those beginning stages unfolding in Tristan's mind once again right in front of him, Vivian knew he had to do something. Right now. He couldn't live like this anymore, and something inside him snapped violently with the shattering of ice.

Standing up and slapping his hands on the table hard, Vivians's usually soft voice echoed through the entire Great Hall. "I am so SICK OF YOU!" Vivian yelled, for once in his life not caring who heard him speak. No. Vivian wanted to be heard. He wanted everyone at Hogwarts to know exactly what kind of person Tristan was, and exactly what Tristan had turned him into. Vivian knew he deserved no forgiveness for what he had done to Hudson, for what he had been complicit in when it came to everyone Tristan had ever dated, and if anyone was angry with him, that was a burden Vivian was willing to bear. But if Vivian was going down, he was going to make damn sure Tristan got everything he deserved. As his eyes met Tristan's, Vivian's furious, burning gaze conveyed to the other boy exactly what he was about to do. "You're so transparent, it's obvious to everyone that you're only doing things for status. You don't care about anything or anyone, only yourself. You're a horrible person, and you've made me into one too!" There was a savage edge to Vivian's voice as he yelled, hands curled into tight fists on the table as he leaned over, towering over where Tristan sat. "When were you planning on telling the people you've lied to what you were doing? That you've been dating me since third year, that you've cheated on every single one of them?! But it was all fine, because I wasn't good enough to be your boyfriend, was I? You even convinced me to do the same thing, like if you could make me as cruel as you are, it'd all work out?" He laughed shakily. "Congratulations, I guess you've succeeded. You're a horrible person, Tristan." Vivian spat, glaring at his once-love coldly. "Enjoy reaping what you've sowed." Heart racing with adrenaline and fear, Vivian knew that whatever happened next, he had done the right thing. As much as it ached, this chapter of his life was finished, for good. Whoever he became next, he would never be the timid person who lived under Tristan's thumb again. As Vivian turned and walked out of the Great Hall without looking back, he felt the weight lift from his shoulders, a feeling of freedom overcoming him for the first time in his life.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan had been imagining himself with Signy at the next dance, and he turned his head to take another bite of his food. Just before taking the bite, he noticed the expression on Vivian's face. It was only seconds before the entire world seemed to grind to a halt, and time seemed to stop. Tristan could only stare as Vivian began to yell at him, his voice louder than Tristan had ever heard it before. The moment he registered what was happening, his brain started to scramble for ways to turn this around. Vivian's first words weren't too bad. It was embarrassing that he was yelling loud enough for the entire great hall to hear, but it was nothing that couldn't be explained away as a fight between friends. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to make Vivian stop before he said anything else, but he couldn't make a sound. He winced visibly as Vivian mentioned him 'cheating', the word sounding harsh and unreal to his ears.

Tristan could practically feel the stares of the other students as the other boy continued to speak, using words that were too real, too open. They made everything between them sound so much worse and darker than Tristan had ever let himself think, and everyone could hear. Blood drained from Tristan's face as Vivian continued to speak, and he couldn't utter a single word in response. There was so much anger and resentment there, and Tristan had no weapon against this. No amount of charm would turn Vivian around, and it wouldn't matter, because his reputation was now in shatters. But as Tristan watched Vivian walk away, still numb, the pain he felt in his chest had nothing to do with regret about his reputation. It was too painful to consider what he was really feeling. So Tristan didn't let his thoughts linger on it. Vivian had caused quite a scene, and Tristan had no idea how to get out of this. He was too shocked to really react, but he knew a lot of eyes in the great hall were now aimed at him. He could hear timid whispers starting, and knew the hall would soon be buzzing with it. Tristan wished for nothing more than for the ground to swallow him up. For the first time, he hated that he had worked so hard to be a recognizable figure at this school. He wanted to disappear. But for now, he sat frozen where he was.

Out of Character:

This topic is now open for reactions! Vivian yelled very loudly, so if your character is in the great hall they'll have noticed this happening. Feel free to react with any character you wish, whether they know Tristan and Vivian or not!

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah had spent all of her Saturday evening doing what she had done every Saturday since she arrived - studying. However, staying up until 2 a.m. putting together study guides for each of her classes still took its toll. She made her way down to the Great Hall in her robes, but her pajamas were still on underneath. It gave the illusion she was put together. It was her favorite trick to pull with each astronomy class.

She had been sitting at the table, leisurely reading a book and taking a sip of her pumpkin juice when out of no where screaming filled the room. Adorah jumped half the juice in her lap and turned to see where the commotion was coming from. An older boy was yelling very clearly at the Hufflepuff table. Adorah blushed and turned back to begin sopping up the juice out of her lap. Why did people feel the need to air their personal problems in front of everyone else? It wasn't until she heard the parts about the boy cheating that she turned back around to watch the action. She could understand the yelling now, but it still made her uncomfortable. Once the instigator left, she turned back around a final time and looked at her toast. It's too early for this. She continued to finish her breakfast while keeping an open ear in case anymore commotion happened.

 

[Irene Holland]

Irene was seated at the staff table, enjoying her breakfast while engaging in small talk with colleagues since it was a Sunday. She had planned on staying in the library in the morning, go out for lunch with her husband and twins, coming back to the castle just in time for dinner. The woman's eyes roamed about the entirety of the halls as students started entering and helping themselves to the spread. ​

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Shortly into breakfast when the tables were all filled and chatter among students filled the air, an outburst happened in the Hufflepuff Table. Irene straightened up in her seat to get a good look of who was causing the ruckus. It turned out that it was Vivian Brackenstall who seemed to be yelling at Tristan Collins. Both boys are on their last year and judging from Collins' posture, the cause of Vivian's uproar was somewhat personal that even a prefect like Tristan was frozen to his seat.​

 

[Professor Angel Castillo]

Meals in the great hall were always a lively experience, but sometimes the level of noise from so many students and staff could make conversation difficult. Angel was just pondering trying to strike a conversation with one of his tablemates when things seemed to get even louder, the commotion coming from the yellow house table, Hufflepuff. It sounded like someone was handling the difficult conversation part quite simply by yelling. Craning his neck a bit, Angel caught site of Tristan, that prefect that had shown him around earlier in the year, and what appeared to be his social life imploding. Angel couldn't hear everything, but he heard enough to know it wasn't good, and watched intrigued as the yelling boy stormed out of the hall. Talk about making an exit. Angel was torn between continuing to watch the spectacle and wondering if someone, like an adult maybe, should do something. Where they supposed to intervene with personal airings of grievances in the hall or was that part of healthy student development. The look on Tristan's face sure didn't look entirely healthy. It honestly seemed a bit more fun to wait and see how the Collins kid would handle it.

 

[Jerara Tapsell]

Jerara had settled quite easily into a quiet routine. He didn’t really talk to most other people, just kept to himself, did his studying and focused on his duties. It was a little lonely but he had NEWTs, duties and everything else, he didn’t have time to spend with others. It was a good thing that Tristan had fallen out with him. The ravenclaw was sat in the great hall, with his books out in front of him, and piece of toast mostly forgotten to his side. He frowned when someone started shouting, thinking it entirely inappropriate to do so. It was when he looked up at them, perhaps even to flex his status and tell them to stop when he noticed the person being yelled at was Tristan. He frowned a little, he had perhaps fallen out with Tristan and they’d both said some equally terrible things but he still felt some loyalty to his only real if former friend. He hadn’t really meant most of it, said in anger and frustration. The teen watched as the boy who was yelling left, leaving Tristan just sat on his own, with a false calm about the hall. He couldn’t imagine that had been particularly fun for Tristan, so, in an odd sense of loyalty to his former friend, Jerara packed up his things and headed over, getting the person who had been sat next to Tristan to scram and sitting down in his place. He glanced at a few people, hoping that his status as head boy would help make sure no one else had a go, since Jerara could take points from everyone. He moved a few items out of his way, placed his books on the table and just started working where he’d left off. Jerara hadn’t really glanced at Tristan but hoped that his presence might at the very least help a little.​

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Breakfast had never been Harley's favourite meal of the day, one she preferred to get through as quickly as possible before going to do more interesting things. So when a shout from the Hufflepuff table shattered the calm morning chatter filling the hall, Harley almost choked on the entire half piece of toast crammed in her mouth. Gulping a few times, she quickly caught her breath, standing up slightly to peer across the hall and see what all the commotion was. The Hufflepuff was being loud enough that Harley could hear exactly what he was talking about, and though she didn't rememeber the name of the guy yelling, the guy he was yelling at had always struck her as one of the more obnoxiously by-the-books prefects, and it certainly sounded like he deserved what he was getting. So when the yelling was over, Harley gave a small cheer, calling out to the retreating back of the guy who had yelled. "KICK HIS ARSE!" It was in vain, of course, but Harley couldn't help thinking a good fight would have broken up the breakfast monotony, and it certainly sounded like Tristan would have deserved it.

 

[Uno Bear]

Uno was happily eating her morning routine of a mountain of bacon, chatting away to Phineas. There were definitely different types of bacon, and Uno usually preferred the crispy ones - they usually had less fat on them, which was good because the fat was gross. The Slytherin girl had peeled a few pieces of bacon fat off however, and was thinking about how she could accurately fling it at William, when a sudden outburst from the Hufflepuff table made Uno sit up straighter to get a better look at what was happening. Some tall dude from the Hufflepuff table was yelling at another one - Uno was surprised, she thought Hufflepuffs were all calm and chill. It seemed to be over relatively fast, but Uno's eyes were still wide with excitement - wishing that the drama hadn't ended so quickly. The other boy was apparently cheating on lots of people, so when a Gryffindor girl called out for the tall one to kick his arse, Uno stood up, getting on the bench. "Yeah! Come back here and punch his f**king face! Fight fight fight!" She yelled out.

 

[Kengi Smile]

Kengi Smile wanted today to be a calm day. He needed it to be calm because it was coming down to the wire when it came to his studies and exams. Kengi wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Hit Wizard, so he needed to focus on his grades. When a student started yelling, he sighed and looked towards the commotion. It seemed to be that Tristan was involved, and he chuckled a little bit. Kengi had not liked Tristan the first time talked to the seventh year. However, he felt that way with most people in most instances. Soon after the taller boy walked off, there were calls for a fight, and it sort of intrigued him. However, fighting was not good, and he knew that Tristan knew better than to be so stupid and allow himself to get into a situation like that. However, apparently, Tristan did not think with his head very well, according to the taller guy. Kengi really did not know what to think about the situation, so he did not really know how to react other than to sit and watch.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot was contemplating his cornflakes carefully, mentally planning out his Sunday when one of the older students across the table suddenly stood up, slamming his palms on the table. His outburst startled Elliot out of his thoughts, sloshing milk on the table as the boy continued yelling, apparently fed up with something the prefect, Tristan if Elliot remembered, had done. Conflict wasn't something Elliot handled well, sinking in his seat a bit even when the yelling was directed to the person next to him, and not himself. Something in the sharpness of the boy's voice made the moment feel entirely too personal, and Elliot almost considered moving, but felt himself stuck, too enthralled with the altercation happening in front of him, unable to look away from the pair. Could a prefect really have done all those awful things?
Tristan seemed almost shellshocked when it was over, the other boy storming out, and Elliot subconsciously scooted away from him when he realized half the school was now looking Tristan's way. When the head boy approached, Elliot didn't need any convincing to vacate his seat, his remaining cornflakes well past palatable.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose had been looking through her Herbology book idly while chatting to Kauri at breakfast. She didn't have a lot planned for today, and that was fine with her. She had picked all her favorites to eat, and was enjoying her meal a lot. Kauri was a lot of time to spend time with in small moments like this. He was a great boyfriend, and always made her feel cheerful and happy. The peaceful moment was broken when someone at the Hufflepuff table shouted. Rose looked up to see Vivian Brackenstall, one of her classmates, yelling at Tristan Collins, another one of her classmates. The words he said were quiet shocking, and she was startled by the sudden reveals. She didn't really know Tristan well, though she had caught him smiling at her a bit more often these days. But she knew he was Kauri's ex boyfriend, and that Kauri didn't like to talk about that relationship. Vivian's words implied he had been cheating on everyone he had dated over the past years, including Kauri. Rose felt her stomach drop, and she glanced at her boyfriend with concern. Harley's shout would have made her smile on any other day, but right now she was a little too concerned to really notice. "Kauri... that's your ex, right? Are you okay?" She asked him softly.

 

[Tristan Collins]

There was a part of Tristan that still hadn't comprehended what had just happened. His gaze was locked on the door that Vivian had just left through, but he could still see all the faces turned his way. It seemed like everyone in every house was staring at him, and he felt a jolt of horror as he realized there were stares coming from the staff table too. Tristan could usually talk himself out of most situations, but no words would come to him now. His mouth was dry. There was a shuffle to his right, and Tristan glanced sideways for a moment. Long enough to see Jerara had joined him at the table, and there was a distant part of him that was deeply grateful for this. But he had no words to thank his friend. He winced as a few people started to shout things, and he could hear some laughter too. The whispers were getting louder as well, as the people in the great hall were processing what had just happened. Tristan felt nauseous, and he knew he couldn't stay. "I can't." He whispered, mostly so Jerara knew he wasn't leaving because of him. He got to his feet shakily, still very aware of every eye on him. He started to walk towards the entrance of the great hall. At first, he took care to keep his strides purposeful but casual. As if he was walking out on his own accord. But the distance from the Hufflepuff table to the entrance seemed to grow with each step, and Tristan could almost feel the pressure of the eyes on him, and he felt like he couldn't get enough air. Before he knew what he was doing, Tristan was running to the doors. It was a relief when he left the great hall behind him, though it wasn't enough. He needed to go somewhere where he could be alone. He needed a moment. His entire world had fallen apart.

 

[October Alcott]

Breakfast was never a peaceful time for October, her head down as she stole bites of toast between putting the finishing touches on an essay she had to hand in later today. It was easier not to think about having nobody to eat with if she was too busy to socialise anyway. Her solitude was shattered by a sudden shouting and October looked up, instinctively seeking out the source of the commotion. She saw the boy shouting first, initially not realising who he was shouting at, though she wasn't entirely surprised when she saw it was Tristan. She had done her best to avoid her ex-boyfriend ever since their breakup, and the way the taller boy was shouting reminded October enough of their breakup that she supposed this must be who Tristan had been seeing recently. She was doing her best to tune out the yelling, when something the boy said snapped her back to attention. Since third year?! The look on Tristan's face made it clear that everything the taller boy had yelled was true. October's heart clenched as the meaning of this sunk in. She had always thought Tristan's affections had been genuine, even if things had turned out for the worst, but... had he ever liked her at all? Or had he simply been trying to cover up... whatever this was? October felt used and humiliated, and ducked her head down, trying to hide in her homework and pretend she hadn't heard anything, in the desperate hopes that nobody would look at her.

 

[April Ward]

April had been eating and reading a Quidditch magazine at the same time. She didn't usually read while she was eating, but this was research for the upcoming match and it was important. She had been happy that October had won the first match of the season, and if she wanted to face her stepsister during the final game, she had to win this match as well. April was humming softly to herself, which was interrupted by a sudden noise somewhere to her left at the table. She jumped, knocking over a (thankfully) empty glass. She turned her head and realized it was the boy she had met playing piano, and he was yelling at Tristan Collins. At first, April felt glee. It was nice that Tristan was being yelled at, because Tristan was a butt. He had really hurt Kauri. But when she realized what was being said, she felt anger overtake her happy mood. She had known some of it, as it had been what made Kauri upset, but she had never thought it was still going on or had been going on that long. After he dated October too! April looked at her sister at the Ravenclaw table, and could tell from how she was sitting that she was upset. April glared at Tristan and wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but was then distracted when some people started shouting things. Tristan looked humiliated, which April was glad about. He had hurt both her best friend and her sister, and he deserved all the anger that was aimed at him. The boy left before she could do anything, but the Head Boy had come to sit with him in silent support. Without Tristan there to yell at, April turned her attention on the Ravenclaw. "You shouldn't be his friend." She told him loudly. "He's a jerk. You're making yourself look like a jerk too if you're his friend." She didn't like that the Head Boy had so clearly sided with Tristan, especially when October was Head Girl alongside him. It seemed unfair, and dumb.

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri had never had any trouble finding a friend to have breakfasts with, but he had been spending a lot of time with Rose since they had started dating, and he really enjoyed it. It was nice to sit together and just enjoy each other's company as they got ready for the day, chatting or comparing homework or just whiling away the moments together. The quiet of the morning was broken though, by a disruption from the Hufflepuff table. Kauri looked over, his heart dropping into his stomach when he realised where the noise was coming from. He recognised the taller boy, from what was without a doubt the worst day of his life, and Kauri didn't know what to make of this at first. As the boy went on though, the situation unfolded itself in front of Kauri's eyes with horrifying clarity, and a deep guilt settled in Kauri's stomach. He had always wondered if what he had seen had been a one time event, Tristan's one mistake, but Kauri had never quite dared to investigate further. He knew he should have, especially when Tristan had started dating October. Kauri should have been braver, should have... warned the older girl, or confronted Tristan himself, or... something. He should have protected her, and he had failed. As he watched the long haired boy leave the Great Hall, Rose's voice broke through Kauri's contemplation and he looked back over, shrugging slightly. "I... already knew some of that." He said quietly, voice cracking. Kauri knew he should... do something for October now, but what? Comfort her? Apologise? He felt terrible, and couldn't even bring himself to look at the Head Girl. "I... didn't realise it was still going on." He added to Rose, stomach twisting. "I..." Kauri looked up again, for once feeling like he wasn't brave enough for the situation he found himself in. "I'm... I think I have to go. I'm sorry." Kauri mumbled, getting to his feet, wiping his eyes quickly as he made his way out of the Great Hall.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

Neither Hayley nor Harley had much interest in lingering over breakfast, which meant that having it together suited her perfectly. Of course, part of Hayley's habit of wolfing down her food had stemmed from her youthful attempts to spend as little time as possible at the Slytherin table, before she'd realised how easy it was to get away with swapping tables to sit with her friends. These days, there was a bittersweet note to it, seeing Rose sit away from them.

The relative peace of their hasty breakfast was shattered by a boy yelling over at the Hufflepuff table. Hayley glanced over, along with everyone else. Wasn't that the boy who splinched? And he was yelling at . . . Tristan. Tristan had been an . . . odd . . . patrol partner this year, surly and distracted, and far less concerned with the rules than Hayley would have expected of him. Was this why? Hayley didn't catch everything the boy was saying, but what she did get was horrifying. There had always been something about Tristan that vaguely rubbed Hayley the wrong way, but she had never imagined it would be something like this. She sniggered at Harley's reaction, partly to cover her own surprise. "Wow."

 

[Hudson Worth]

Hudson was quietly eating oatmeal at his seat not saying much to his housemates around him. He had spotted Vivian across the tables at Hufflepuff sitting near a boy he saw him hanging around during meals a lot. He wondered if that was his new target for a fake relationship. Hudson did feel bitter about their break up. He let real emotions go telling Vivian how he felt and the older boy completely broke them and ran the other way. His meal continued peacefully as long as he remember to not think about the past until suddenly his ex-boyfriend's voice rang loudly through the Great Hall. It sounded as though Vivian was right next to him, maybe yelling at him so Hudson looked up again. But no, this was different Vivian was yelling at the guy he had been sitting near, some Hufflepuff prefect who always had a different date to every event. The words were harsh and he wondered what the guy had been transparent about.

Then Hudson's heart stopped. Didn't even flutter to a stop, no it was a cold hard stop. 'Third Year'. Vivian had been dating this guy since third year while the guy had been dating others. Did that mean he was Viv's attempt to do the same? Was that why Vivian had suddenly started to flirt all of a sudden when Hudson had no hope his crush on the older guy would ever come to anything? At this point Hudson wasn't even sure he was breathing anymore. He stood up from his chair as soon as Vivian had turned and started to leave the room, watching him go. He hadn't even meant to stand but he did. Had it been well known he dated Vivian that he was a victim in this other guy's dating scam? Hudson had his answers, Vivian never had deep feelings for him, only for this guy who continually dated other people while using Vivian as a back up. Did it make what Vivian did to him any better? No, Hudson wasn't sure he'd ever forgive Vivian for breaking his heart and to know that he did it willingly cheating on him with this jerk-face that was sat at the table in shock. Vivian would never ever deserve forgiveness from Hudson. He watched another guy get up and move over next to the lying cheater. And a girl told him he shouldn't be friend's with Tristan. Hudson agreed, this guy deserved nothing.